Dear Mom,
It has been eighteen years and I have finally realized that you are my best friend. While at college, I have discovered that becoming an adult is actually a lot harder than I thought it was. It has showed me how much effort you’ve put into being where you are today, and I appreciate it all. Without your love and support, I would never be where I am today. You taught me how to make friends, be myself, and love unconditionally. I owe it all to you (and dad), but I feel like a mother-daughter bond is a lot different.
I remember growing up and spending every day after school for a few years at the hospital with you. We were supporting grandma, while she went through chemotherapy. For most families, this would be a very hard time, and for us, it was of course. However, this experience taught me to be there for the people you love during hard times. Grandma always needed us, and I never realized why you brought me with you every day. I now understand that you wanted me to learn how to love unconditionally for the people who love me. Those days were hard for us, but I remember the trips to the gift shops and the puzzles we completed just like it was yesterday.
Then middle school came around and I was overwhelmed. I never realized how hard making new friends could actually be. I remember going to school and knowing that I needed to be open to being friends with everyone. However, if they were mean to me you always told me to stay away from them. Sometimes I didn’t listen, but I realized that you were always right. I would come home from school, some days sad because my friends did not include me, but you would always be right there, ready to comfort me. I know you knew what I was going through because you always had just the right things to say to me. You have always been my shoulder to cry on and I am thankful for that.
Next came high school and you were not too thrilled to send me to an all-girls, private, Catholic high school. You knew that there would be lots of drama, but you let me go and learn from it. Freshman year really pushed me around when it came to friends, but you were always right there with me. You would talk to me about my problems and I would tell you every detail about the drama in my life. Most teenage girls would want their mom to know only the bare minimum about anything, but our relationship was different. I could trust you.
Over the years, I never knew if I had a best friend. But I’ve realized that my best friend was right in front of me this entire time. It was and always has been you, Mom. Thank you again for teaching me to love the way you love me, to care the way you care for me, and to trust the way you trust me. I am beyond lucky to call you my best friend. Always remember that I love you and am very grateful for the life you have given me and helped me live. You show me every day what it is like to be a strong and empowered woman, and I am extremely blessed to have you.
Much love,
Your daughter